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PaperclipPerfector  3mo ago (text post)   25031 thread views

Culture War Roundup for the week of September 29, 2025

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You can't be preyed upon with tricky overdraft fees because if you don't have the money, you simply can't spend it.

Oh if only that were true. I found out the hard way that my bank would happily let transactions through that my checking account couldn't cover, then charge me a $50 fee on top of having to bring the account positive. There are some very predatory banks in the US.

That aside credit cards do have other advantages. They aren't insurmountable but do exist.

  • A business which expects you might have incidental charges (say, a hotel which offers room service billed to the room) will put a massive hold on your card if you use a debit card, because they can't be sure they will be paid otherwise. Was quite a shock to me when I was traveling at 20 and found I had no money in my checking account after I checked in to the hotel. This can generally be worked around by getting the hotel to remove the ability to bill those things to the room, but a credit card is easier.
  • While both credit cards and debit cards will work with you to return fraudulent charges or things you dispute with a merchant, when you use a debit card you are out real actual money until it gets resolved. With a credit card it's just a pending charge on your account, for which I don't believe you even pay interest. So you don't really lose out on the use of that money as the process resolves.
  • Credit cards do have rewards in the US (though I'm told not in European countries). These can be, but aren't always, profitable for you if you take advantage of all of them. The credit card company is banking on you not taking advantage, but if you can (and have the discipline to follow through) it's a good deal.
  • You do in fact need a credit history, at least here in the US. Even bad credit is often reckoned to be better than no credit. Having a credit card and paying off the balance establishes that credit history (though it isn't the only way).

So there are rational reasons to use a credit card. You don't have to, but they can be beneficial if you can avoid the trap of spending money you don't have.

Oh if only that were true. I found out the hard way that my bank would happily let transactions through that my checking account couldn't cover, then charge me a $50 fee on top of having to bring the account positive. There are some very predatory banks in the US.

Yeah, and if you use a credit card that won't happen. (Since 2009, they can't even charge you an over-the-limit fee unless you specifically opt-in).

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